The Palma-based X37 Chillax skippered by Paul Sheahan is the only Irish entry so far into October's Middle Sea Race as entries continue to roll in for the 45th edition. Starting from Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta, on Saturday, 19 October, the 2024 edition is set to gather a formidable fleet from all parts of the sailing world.
Along with Chillax, Irish Sea ISORA regular Sam Hall in the Welsh J125 Jackknife is also entered. As Afloat previously reported, maybe not under IRL sail numbers, but very much an Irish team is a crew from Galway Bay Sailing Club (GBSC) who will compete on the French-registered Noisy Oyster, FRA9687.
Seng Huang Lee’s 30.48 metre (100 foot) Dovell-designed Maxi, Scallywag, from Hong Kong led by round the world veteran, David Witt, remains the most potent entrant to date.
The Irish X37 Chillax has been entered into the 2024 Rolex Middle Sea Race by Paul Sheahan Photo: RMSR
However, the news that Andrea Recordati, overall winner of the 2023 race, is returning with his 28.3m (93ft) Judel Vrolijk designed Bullitt suggests another almighty scrap at the head of the monohull fleet. The Italian Maxi proved a considerable thorn in the side of last year’s monohull line honours winner, leading the race at Messina, and never more than 30 minutes adrift until Favignana and the halfway point. Bolstered by their win under IRC Time Correction, who knows what the exceptional crew might achieve this time.
Sam Hall's Welsh J125 Jackknife pictured here on Dublin Bay will contest the 2024 Middle Sea Race in October Photo: Afloat
The Maxi contingent has grown further with the entry of the Volvo 70 Dinzer Doo, formerly Ericsson I of 2005/06 ocean race vintage. Entered by new owners, Daniel Thomas and his daughter Mika, both of the United States, the team mostly comprises a group of family, friends and adventure seekers, supported by a core of professionals. While the crew may lack some pedigree in the Rolex Middle Sea Race the boat does not. Racing as E1, the 21.5m (70ft) yacht finished a close second on the water in 2020, three minutes behind the winner. Diego Paternò Castello from Italy has entered his 21m (69ft) 12, a Nacira 69. This will be the yacht’s first time competing at the race, but according to skipper Federico Dosso it will not be the offshore debut: “As a team we have participated in the ARC Racing Division and the Giraglia in 2021, and every one of the crew has already taken part in offshore races like the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the Clipper Race, the Aegean 600 and many others over the years.” Attracted by the history of the race, its timing at the end of the northern hemisphere sailing season along with the likelihood of a mix of light hard conditions, Dosso talks about their enthusiasm to take part: “What the owner and the rest of the crew really like about offshore racing is the fact that you must be more than ‘just’ a good sailor, and demonstrate the right mix between being that and a good seaman. This is an aspect emphasized in the longer offshore races like Rolex Middle Sea Race.”
The start of the 44th Rolex Middle Sea Race with Wally 82 Django HF, Sail no: 888 skippered by Giovanni Lombardi leaving Valetta Harbour Photo: Kurt Arrigo
Eve was the 35th Swan 65 to be delivered. Ketch-rigged and built in 1981, seven years after her sibling Sayula II’s ground-breaking achievement in the 1973/74 Whitbread Round the World Race, the yacht has amassed thousands of miles of ocean and offshore passage making during a packed life. Now owned by Australians Steve Capell and Fraser Welch, Eve is on a round the world trip, which started from Sydney in 2022. The skipper, Benjamin Roulant explains the reason behind their participation in the Rolex Middle Sea Race: “Since leaving home waters we have mixed cruising and racing. We try to do one 600 mile race every year. We have all seen the beautiful photos of the start of the Rolex Middle Sea Race and dreamt of being part of it before leaving Australia. Offshore racing is what the Swan 65 was designed for. It is an exceptional feeling to be able to push a 35 tonne yacht, something you can only do with a full race crew! It is not only the sailing, but the ambiance and comradeship we experience, creating lifelong lasting memories for all of us.” Eve arrives off the back of four Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Races, one Sydney to Noumea and one Rolex Fastnet Race under current ownership. “Most of our crew are from Australia , and most of them have raced with us before. We have become a little bit of an Eve family with familiar faces coming back every year. We are a mix of amateur and professionals onboard and we all care greatly for each other and the boat,” continues Roulant. “It is an absolute privilege to experience the feeling of the crew as one with the boat, the sensations as well as camaraderie that comes with it is unbeatable.”
Six Jaguar is another Swan 65, built in 1979 and sloop-rigged. According to skipper George Ball: “This is the first Rolex Middle Sea Race for the boat. The crew is predominantly Spanish, mixing a wide range of ages from 23 to 68, and it will be our first offshore race together. We were previously focused on inshore regattas, but are now seeking new challenges. What better introduction to offshore racing than the Rolex Middle Sea Race.” There are several reasons why this race was chosen for the start of a new chapter says Ball: “The reasons range from the prestige of the event which attracts some of the world’s greatest sailors to the spectacular course which provides a wide range of conditions, and forces sailors to carefully evaluate different strategies.”
In contrast with its bigger opponents, the 12.5m (41ft) Quo from Austria may appear a minnow. However, skipper and owner Gerald Boess is a formidable competitor. About to embark on his 10th Rolex Middle Sea Race, Boess can call upon the experience from several other offshore races, including the Rolex Fastnet Race, Rolex Sydney Hobart, RORC Caribbean 600, Rolex China Sea Race. A double-handed class winner in 2020 with a previous boat marks his best result in this contest, and other class podium places over the years suggest a growing base of course knowledge and solid skill. “The 2001 Rolex Middle Sea Race was my first offshore race. For this reason alone, it has a special significance for me,” explains Boess. “Then there is the extraordinary hospitality in Malta. The different conditions make it tactically one of the most challenging courses and it has most probably the strongest starting field in the Mediterranean.”
It has not always been easy, with retirement in 2021 following previous year’s high: “In terms of scenery, this race is exceptional. Even when we had to retire, we could at least console ourselves with good wine in a fantastic spot. The Rolex Middle Sea Race is the perfect way to end the Mediterranean racing season with friends and unique memories.” Boess likes racing short-handed and fully crewed, both have their advantages. “Sailing in a well-coordinated team of two is great, you must sail with foresight and have 100% confidence in yourself and your partner. With a full crew, it's more about team management and team spirit. Both are very attractive,” he says. “What I like best about offshore racing is that after the start, we have the privilege of leaving the worries and problems of our world behind for a few days and focusing exclusively on our boat, crew, weather, competitors, and tactics.”
